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Cardamine
Cardamine is an addictive drug that is declared contraband by all the major houses (Liberty, Kusari, Rheinland, and Bretonia). Overview Cardamine is produced by the Outcasts, descendants of the lost sleeper ship Hispania who reside in the Omicron Alpha system. Upon planetfall on Planet Malta, they discovered a strange Orange grass that completely covered the planet. They thought nothing of it, until Outcast pilots who left the system unexpectedly began experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Closer examination of the pilots' blood revealed that their genetic make-up had been altered to be identical in places to that of the strange orange grass now called Cardamine (pronounced Car-da-mine, not car-da-mean). The Outcasts soon discovered, however, that the body did not build a tolerance for the drug, so they distilled the plant into a form that could be easily inhaled to prevent their pilots from crashing due to withdrawal. Many Outcasts on bases can be seen wearing their distinctive Cardamine inhalers, constantly feeding them with their fix for the drug. Aside from being incredibly addictive, Cardamine does boast several benefits. The main advantage is a dramatically extended lifespan, elderly Outcasts easily push 150 years. This has lead Cryer Pharmaceuticals among other groups to begin experimenting with the substance in an attempt to produce new longevity drugs. Outcasts have a more cynical view of the drug, using to imprison various criminal groups to their supply lines and manipulate them to their own advantage. Groups already caught in the net of the Outcasts' addictive orange weed include the GC, the Rogues, and the Lane Hackers. Outcasts view themselves as cast to the edge of space by humanity, and see the drug as a way of striking back. In recent events, Cryer Pharmaceuticals have also been trying to create a legal alternative to Cardamine for addicted members. The main of this research resides in Atka Research Station, Sigma-13. Outcasts viewed this as a high threat, bringing them into conflict with the Corsairs over that part of territory. If a legal alternative was produced, the Outcasts would be drastically hurt in terms of economics. Trade Route Basics Best Buy: Planet Malta (300 Credits) Best Sell: Planet Manhattan (1,500 Credits) Max Profit Per Unit: (1,200 Credits) Bases Selling (by lowest price) *Planet Malta, Omicron Alpha system - Outcasts - $300 *Ruiz Base, Omicron Beta system - Outcasts - $330 *Cali Base, Tau 23 system - Outcasts - $390 *Ainu Depot, Hokkaido system - Golden Chrysanthemums - $480 *Yanagi Depot, Sigma 13 system - Junkers - $510 *Tralfagar Base, New London system, Junkers - $600 *Mactan Base, Magellan system - Lane Hackers - $810 *Montezuma Base, Cortez system - Liberty Rogues - $840 *Alcatraz Depot, California system - Liberty Rogues - $1,050 *Kreuzberg Depot, New Berlin system - Junkers - $1,050 *Beaumont Base, Texas system - Junkers - $1,200 *Buffalo Base, New York system - Liberty Rogues - $1,230 *Rochester Base, New York system - Junkers - $1,410 Bases Buying (by highest price) *Planet Manhattan, New York system - Liberty Police - $1,500 *Rochester Base, New York system - Junkers - $1,410 *Planet New Berlin, New Berlin system, Rheinland Police - $1,350 *Planet Houston, Texas system, - Liberty Police - $1,320 *Buffalo Base, New York system - Liberty Rogues - $1,230 *Beaumont Base, Texas system - Junkers - $1,200 *Kreuzberg Depot, New Berlin system - Junkers - $1,050 *Alcatraz Depot, California system - Liberty Rogues - $1,050 Smuggler Tips If you get discovered running contraband, simply dock with the next Trade Lane or Jump Gate. You will usually manage to escape. If you are able to jump or reach trade lane space before the police go hostile to you, the police on the other side will not be hostile to you. The faster you are in getting to the trade lane or jump gate, the more likely this tactic will work. News SON OF ARISTOCRAT ARRESTED: NORTH SOMERSET -- Nathaniel Carrington, son of Lord Phillip Carrington, will be spending some time in the Fuller Rehabilitation Facilities after his arrest for the possession of Cardamine. Nathaniel was stopped by a police patrol last Wednesday in north Somerset when they witnessed his skiff collide with a light pole. "I was worried for the safety of the lads in the speeder," Constable Cochrane said when he realized who he had arrested. The Cardamine found in the skiff was enough to earn Nathaniel a four-year sentence, but the judge reduced it to six months rehabilitation since it was Carrington's first offense. CARDAMINE SWEEPING THE CAPITOL: ROPPONGI -- The foreign presence in Roppongi has always been viewed as a necessary evil, but Kusari citizens are now facing a new threat to the moral fiber of Kusari... Cardamine from Roppongi has appeared on our home planet. Many New Tokyo youths flock to the bars and discos of Roppongi, where they are exposed to Cardamine and other corrupting influences of the foreigners. "My son is strictly forbidden from visiting that lair of miscreants, yet I found out that he has been going without my knowledge," said father Jin Takashi Rumors When the Hispania first reached Malta, the taller Orange grasses had sharp blades on top of them, and the initial search parties sent to the surface of the planet died of lacerations within minutes. One could reasonably assume the members of the Hispania quickly learned how to render the grasses non-lethal, either by avoiding the blades or removing them with a machete or similar device. These difficulties in establishing a foothold in Sirius combined with the internal strife of Outcast v Corsairs are probably what set back the members of the Hispania from becoming a major house power like the other 4 sleeper ships that reached Sirius. Links * Drug References in Science Fiction Category:Commodity Category:Contraband